Jerry Seinfeld: The Academy ‘Screwed’ Up, You Won’t ‘Find Another Kevin Hart’ to Host the Oscars

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for GOOD+13 Dec 2018

Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld chimed in on the controversy over Kevin Hart and the Oscars in a new interview, praising the comedian as “brilliant” and wondering “who got screwed” between Hart and the Academy.

“Kevin is in a position, because he’s a brilliant comedian, to kind of decide what he wants to do. He doesn’t have to step down. But he can, and, when you look at the situation — well, who got screwed in that deal?” Jerry Seinfeld told NBC.
“I think Kevin is going to be fine, you know, but find another Kevin Hart. That’s not so easy. He’s a brilliant guy with a movie career,” Seinfeld continued.

Hart stepped down from his position hosting the Oscars last week following a social media campaign that saw his old gay jokes go viral.
“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” he said.

I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's….this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.

Seinfeld, whose standup career has spanned several decades, has spoken out against political correctness before, saying in 2015, “I don’t play colleges but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges, they’re so PC.'”

“My daughter’s 14. My wife says to her, ‘Well, you know, in the next couple of years, I think maybe you’re going to want to hang around the city more on the weekends so you can see boys.’ You know, my daughter says, ‘That’s sexist.’ They just want to use these words. ‘That’s racist. That’s sexist. That’s prejudice.’ They don’t even know what they’re talking about.,” the 64-year-old said.